On Saturday March 10, 2018, thisislagos.ng was at Ilupeju here in Lagos to cover an event, the book launch of Dr. Dami Ajayi’s second poetry collection, A Woman’s Body is a County.”
But the happy mood was almost soured when one of the artistes on the bill lost her phone to a thief.
Now, according to a report in The Punch, Lagos is the world capital of stolen phones which is a multi-billion naira business. An average fence in computer village receives and sells about 5 phones daily, most of them stolen.
“With over 100 gadgets-trading fences in Computer Village alone, each selling as many as five phones daily at an average of N20,000 per unit, the illicit trade in the Ikeja-based market is worth billions annually.”
After the theft was discovered, Celeste, the owner of the phone raised an alarm. CCTV footage was obtained and thisislagos brings you dramatic live footage of the thief as he scoped the distracted Celeste before grabbing her phone in a deft sleight-of-hand that would make a magician proud.
The thief was sent a text requesting him to return the phone or the video would be published.
He did not respond so here are his images and video showing the moment he grabbed Celeste’s phone.
